Playing device for stringed musical instruments



c. HABERMAN. v PLAYING DEVI CE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

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III/I Afroguns UNITED S A ES I A-TEN QFFICE- on mnnsrrluanmvrAn, or noarn isnaenn, ew T-Easier, A ssIGivoa'ro ,oscAa" SCHMIDT, mo, OEJERSEY ciTxjNEw JEasii-Y, A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY.

134mm. Y

To all whom it may concernfl Be it known that I, CHARLES IIABERMAN', a citizen of the United States, and a resident of North Bergen, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have ine vented a new and'Improved Playing Device for Stringed Musicallnstruments, of which the following is :a full, clear, and exact description. The invention relates to stringed musical instruments of the zither type, and its ob ject is to provide a new and improved play ing device more especially designed for playing the melody'strings without the use of picks. Another object is to construct the playing device in a very simple and eflective manner and with a view to prevent the parts from getting'out oforder. Another object is to enable the player to'sound the strings with a tremolo effect in case such is desired or called for by the music. i a t 7 \Vith these and other objects in view,.the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointedout in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, 1n

which similar characters of'referenceindi cate corresponding parts in all the views, Figure 1 is a plan View of the playlng device applied to themelody. strings of a zither; D L Fig.2 is an enlarged cross SGCtlOIL of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;,

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and j V Fig. 4 is across section of one ofthe strikers, the section being on the line 4-4 ofFig. 3. '1

The body 10 of the musical instrument is of box-likeconstruction, and over the said body are stretched in the usual manner melody strings 11 arranged in pairs, and accompaniment strings 12.- The ;improved playing device is shown applied to the melody strings 11 forsounding the same as hereinafter more fully explained, and the said playing device is mounted on a support 15 extending across the melody strings 11 and having legs 16 at its ends resting on top of the body 10 and secured thereto by screws 17 or other fastening means.

PLAvINsnnvIcnroa sramenn Musician INSTRUMENTS:

A s asms]; of Letterslatent. P t fe i 3 92a Application filed A'ugust'21y1919." Serial No. 318,920.

The melody stringsll are adapted to be sounded by strikers 20, one for each pair of melody strings,-each being made of a fiexi ble member 21 of flat steel, and a pivot member 22, preferably of non-flexible material, The fiexibleimember 21is provided at its forward end with a head 23 adapted to strike the corresponding pair of melody strings 11. The rear member 21 overlies the front portion of the member 22, and the forward end of the member 22 is provided with-integral clamp mg lugs 26 bent over onto the flexible mam ber-21 to securely fasten. the latter in position on; the pivot member: 22. The pivot member 22 is provided with a struck-u half round bearing 24 seated on a pivot rod 25 secured at its ends in the legs 16 of the portion of the flexible support 15. 1 By the-arrangement described, l

the pivot-member 22can be readilyplaced in positionon the top of the pivot rod 25 and is free toswing'thereon. In practice, the pivot member 22is considerably ,wider than the flexible member 21, and the side edges of the adjacent pivot members 22 are in abutting relation to hold the strikers at all. times in proper strikingrelationrelative to the melody strings 11.1 The pivot member 22isprovided in the rear ing 24 with an integral seat 30 seatedthelower endof a spring31 fitting with its upper end into a .seat 32 formed in the under side of the support 15. Bythe arrangementdescribed, the striker isnormally held in an uppermost position by the spring-31, that is,'- with the head 23 ardistance IiLbOVG' the corresponding; pair of melody strings 11. pivot member in which is 22 of; each strikerx20 is proof the bear- I The rear end'of the vided at its under side with a block 35 of V felt or other suitable material and normally engaging the corresponding pair of melody strings '11 to damp the same. 4

Int-order to actuate the strikers individually, use is made of keys 40 mounted to slide vertically in the support 15.- Each of the keys 40 comprises a stem 41 -mounted to slide up and down in a bearing 42 formed inthesupport 15, and the lowerend ofthe stem 41 is provided with. a collar43 seated onj top of the rear portion of the flexible member 21 of the corresponding striker-20.

The upper end of the shank il is provided with a finger piece 4:5,the bottom ofwhich is normally a distance above the top of the support 15, as plainly shown in Fig. 2, but when the finger piece 41 is depressed by the player then a downward si'vingi'ng movement is given to the corresponding key 20 whereby the head 23 of the striker is moved into striking engagement with the corresponding pair of melody strings 11 to sound the same. The downward movement of the key 40 is limited by the bottom of the finger piece 45 striking against the top of the support 15. It is understood that when the striker 20 is swung downward on pressi-l'igits key 40 then the spring 31 is compressed and when the operator releases the fin er piece the key 20 returns to its normal uppermost position by the action of the spring '81. By providing the flexible member 21, it is evident that a rebounding action is had after the head 23 strikes the corresponding pair of melody strings 11, and when the finger piece a5 is held pressed the head 23 repeatedly strikes the string thereby producing a tremolo effect. When a striker 20 is swung downward on depressing its key 40 as above explain'ed-tl'ien the damping block 35 is lifted off the corresponding pair of strings 11 to allow proper sounding thereof by the head 23 of the striker, and when the latter returns to uppermost position a-t'ter releasing the finger piece 455 then the damping block 35 again engages the corresponding pair of melody strings 1.1 to damp the "same. \Vhen the finger piece 45, however, is quickly released by the player then the string is sounded but once by the striker. By seating the key 40 on the rear portion of the flexible member 21 of steel the wear is reduced to a minimum and consequently long life of the playing device is insured.

It will be noticed thzt by constructing the striker in the manner "described it can be cheaply manufactured and the several strikers can be quickly assembled without re uirin'g skilled labor. I

L aving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination with a stringed musical instrument of a support extending across a series of strings, a pivot rod held on the said support above the said strings, and strikers mounted to swing on the said rod and arralig'ed in striking relation tothe Sam strings, each s'triker having a flexible member and a pivot member on which the flexible member is secured, the pivot member having a struck up half round bearing seated on the pivot rod, the pivot members of the several strikers being wider than the flexible members and having abutting side edges to hold the strikers in striking relation with their strin s.

2.- The combination with a stringed musical instrument of a support extending across a series of strings, a pivot rod held on the said support above the said strings, and strikers mounted to swing on the said rod. and arranged in striking relation to the said strings, each striker having a flexible member and a pivot member on which the flexible member is secured, the pivot member having a struck up half round integral bearing seated on the pivot rod, the said pivot member having a seat on top in the rear of the said pivot rod and the under side of the said support having a seat in alinement with the said striker seat and a spring seated in the said seats.

3. The combination with a stringed inusical instrument of a support extending across a series of strings, a pivot rod held on the said support above the said strings and strikers mounted to swing on the said rod and arranged in striking relation to the said strings, each strike-r having a 'flexible member, a pivot member on which the flexible member is secured, the pivot memher having a struck up, half round bearing seated on the pivot rod, and damping blocks attached to the under side of the said pivot members at the rear ends thereof to dampen the corresponding strings on the return movement of the strikers after having sounded their strings.

4. In a playing device for stringed musi-al instruments, a striker comprising a flexible striking member provided at its outer end with a striking head, and a pivot member of flat rigid material and to which the rear end of the said flexible member is secured, the said pivot member having a struck up half round pivot bearing intermediate its ends, the said pivot member being wider than the said flexible striking member, the forward end o'f said pivot member being provided with clamping lugs bent over the said striking member to fasten the latter in position on the pivot member.

5. In a playing device for stringed musical instruments, a striker comprising a flexible striliging member provided at its outer end with a striking head, a pivot member of flat rigid material and to which the rear end of the said flexible member is secured, the said pivot member having a struck up, half round pivot bearing intermediate its ends, the said pii'ot member bei'ng wider than the said flexible striking j 

